Bay 12 Games Forum

I had a setup where I was building a floor over the magma vent so I might be able to seal off the magma creatures in there. Still no idea how to keep the magma baddies out, so I went to wall up the ledge leading out, but apparently you can't build a wall on a floor you've built, so I queued up a section of floor for removal and a dwarf got to work.

First I noticed the dwarf working ON TOP of the floor tile. I figured it was just an oddity... But then the tile was gone. And so was the dwarf. He fell into the magma and died because he was standing on the floor tile he just removed.

Funny, huh? I figure removing floor tiles shouldn't work like that.

So, I somehow fixed it... I updated to 33b, first off...

Then I had meeting zones set, but the dwarf that was stuck in the migrant spawn just kinda... Stayed there... So I turned on stone gathering, hoping he'd budge to help cart stone around... And he did!

Oddly enough, after that all the dwarves filed out. I checked their jobs and each one that came out had that greyish X on them and "No Job" in the Gen menu. So I don't know what to think.

Kay, so I get a message that I have migrants incoming, right? I get all happy and yay, but boo because I soon figure out that... They... aren't moving... They are stuck at the edge of the screen, waiting for who knows what with their "no job" tags. Slackers.

I managed to get ONE to move, but just because he was a craftsdwarf and my craftsdwarf workshop was empty. Now a NEW one is stuck at the edge and I have no clue how to get them to move.

So right now we only have one digging tool. A pick. Any thought about shovels? Steampicks for experienced miners? Dwarves are usually portrayed as machine masters in games and such, so I was thinking that maybe branching out more would be nice. We have steam when water comes in contact with magma, but what if it comes in contact with hot water? Perhaps we can have wood boilers or magma boilers that use either coal/wood fires or the heat of magma to produce steam from an inlet of water. Combined with a brook, this can be a viable way to produce steam without the loss of magma for, say, traps (Hot steam hurts. Seriously. :x )or workshops.

I realize this raises the question of how it would be powered by steam, but honestly as this is a fantasy game... I don't really see how it could be explained in real physics.

Of course, boilers could open up a whole new avenue of innovation. What about dwarven showers? Nobles might want to get clean every once in a while, as dust and grime offends their noble sensibilities or something like that. Steam power could turn turbines and power any number of things. From pumps to automated drills to magma taps... It would open up a previously closed area for us to explore and experiment with.

I'm sure you guys can come up with a bajillion other uses for steam or new digging impements and whatnot.

[EDIT]
Of course, I realize that automation is not necessarily a good thing, and my intent was not to promote the whole "it does it for you" as steam would be, presumably, dangerous and a bit complicated to set up. It's just an idea that I think may have some merit.
[/EDIT]

[ November 26, 2007: Message edited by: Zombie ]

I like this idea. That would really help in my mining areas a lot.

I don't think the idea should be to force players to set up clothiers early on just to produce beds. The idea is to allow for more expansion of beds and such later, not to make players HAVE to build a clothier and loom when they first arrive just to make mattresses so their dwarves get good sleep. What if people don't bring pig tail seeds with? Don't dwarves also hate sleeping on the ground?

And why should regular old dwarves want mattresses, pillows, and bedspreads? That's something you'd expect nobles to want. That is a luxury, not a requirement. Especially if you require a material to stuff the bed with.

Like I said, it's intended to be like encrusting something with gems. Making things more comfortable should be another aspect of item improvement. It shouldn't be a requirement.

[ November 26, 2007: Message edited by: Zombie ]

So, we can only make beds of wood. Presumably because dwarves sleep right on them, with no mattresses or sheets. What I suggest is to allow all kinds of beds, stone, metal... What have you. Just make them less comfortable (unhappy thoughts? Or less than happy thoughts?) than wood beds.

Also, allow clothier shops to make mattresses, bedspreads, and pillows (three separate objects) out of plant fibers or silks, maybe even out of leather? Perhaps add a new plant like cotton or another plant that can be used to make stuffing for mattresses and pillows... Maybe make mattresses and pillows a two-step creation where you have to make it, then stuff it?

After that, maybe q-select a bed (kind of like a lever) and select "add mattress/pillow/bedspread" or something like that?

It could be a requirement for nobles or just a source of happiness? Perhaps it could let dwarves sleep less?